NADMO staff drowns in the river at Abira

A 60-year-old National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) staff member drowned in a river at Abira in the Ashanti Region, leaving residents in shock.

Community members confirmed that the NADMO staff, identified as Kwame Obeng, drowned in River Abena Feam at Abira, an incident reported early Wednesday. The tragedy has thrown the Ashanti Region community into mourning as police begin investigations.

Eyewitnesses said the body of the NADMO worker was discovered in the Abira river, though the circumstances of the drowning remain uncertain. According to the Abira Chief Linguist, Nana Adu Adjei, the deceased had been battling a stroke prior to the incident.

The chief explained that Mr. Obeng was last seen the previous day. “He told his wife he was going to Krobo, a nearby community, but unfortunately, he did not return home,” Nana Adu Adjei recounted.

The late NADMO officer, who once served as Assembly Member for Abira, was married and left behind one daughter. His death has raised concerns about safety around the river, particularly since this is the second body discovered in River Abena Feam in recent times.

Nana Adu Adjei urged residents, especially the youth, to respect traditional customs that forbid visits to the river on Tuesdays, which locals consider sacred. He warned that ignoring these practices could have dire consequences.

Meanwhile, police from Antoa retrieved the body from the river and deposited it at the mortuary for autopsy as investigations continue into the drowning.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the NADMO, Major (Rtd) Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, has called for prioritising the National Disaster Management Strategy, describing it as the most important document regarding Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities.

He made the call during a well-attended Inter-Agency Working Group on Emergencies (IAWGE) meeting organised by the Disease Epidemics Department of NADMO.

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He said the document, which is at its preparatory stage, needed not just technical support but financial support as well. “The most important document now is the National Disaster Management Strategy; my appeal to you as a working group is to give it all the support it needs so we know which areas to prioritise as an organisation. It will further guide all of us in our actions and inactions”, he stated.